Last week, I received a copy of the book "The Cool Family: The Most Valuable Treasure." This is the first bilingual children's book written by Dania Santana, founder and content creator of the blog also known as the Cool Family.
Dania and I have had a wonderful friendship for a few years now, and throughout this time we've known each other, we've talked a lot about multiculturalism, sharing stories and anecdotes about our children—things that happen in the real life of any child whose parents or relatives come from different cultures.
I am very happy to know that Dania Santana has been able to capture in her book the feelings of a large majority of these children, who often do not feel different from others, until someone points it out, as is the case of AbiCool, one of the protagonists of the story, who refuses to attend school because she feels different and physically does not resemble her cousin with whom she attends the same school, the same thing happens to the cousin who feels different from the rest of his family.
The role of parents in these cases is fundamental, as the author demonstrates in this story. Just as we parents are the ones who instill the values we raise in our children, we are also responsible for instilling in them a love of our roots through our stories, our music, our customs, and even our food.
By giving our children a full understanding of where they come from, who their ancestors were, and above all, the love and unity of the family despite our physical differences, and by teaching them the pride they should have, I can assure you, from personal experience, that they will be children very proud of their roots, and physical differences will fade into the background.
Our experience
My children only began to realize, starting at age 6 or 7, that they looked a little different from their family in Peru, and they started asking questions about why I didn't have the same skin color as my mother or most of my family. It was then that I had to go back to the time of my great-grandmother and great-great-grandparents so they could understand the reason for the mixture. We talked a lot about the strength and courage of our Inca ancestors, and from then on, they began to say in school that they, too, had Inca blood :). Today, after a few years, they no longer see any difference; they just enjoy all the family warmth on each of our trips to Peru. Returning to the story of the book The Cool Family – The Most Valuable Treasure, this book contains a story that will definitely be of great help to many children, not just Latino ones, a story with which they will likely feel very identified and with a happy ending that will make them feel very proud of their ancestors and the love of their family. You don't have to wait to buy it! This book is now available in Amazon, where you can get it at a very reasonable price.
LOTTERY
The best gift is a book, so I'm happy to be able to raffle this book here on the blog. Just follow the requirements to participate. Don't forget that you must live here in the United States or have family or friends you can send it to. a Rafflecopter giveaway Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book, but this post was not paid for and all content is my own.
I would love to read it!
I'm so glad your children identified with the story and, above all, saw themselves reflected in the book. That's the main goal: for children to find themselves in the stories they read, for being mixed and multicultural to be a source of strength for them. I loved your writing; thank you so much, dear!
I'd like to win it so I can read it to my children and continue reading to them in Spanish.
A book written by a Spanish speaker is always worth showing to children a little older than you. Latinos living in the US are also knowledgeable people, trying to make young people proud of being Latino and also to show the natives of this country that Latinos are thoughtful people who want their children to be as well. Bravo for your efforts, and good luck!